


A Welcome Interlude

by EverFascinated, Nenagh24 (EverFascinated)



Series: Fictober 2020 [13]
Category: Firefly, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Can stand alone but not really meant to, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Fictober 2020, Immortals, Intermission, Master of Death Harry Potter, Sequel, Set during the big damn movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26995729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverFascinated/pseuds/EverFascinated, https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverFascinated/pseuds/Nenagh24
Summary: Living for millennia didn't mean perfection, in fact it simply provided even more time to make mistakes in. Then again, mistakes were what was made of them, so it was probably for the best that Harry and Luna made this unusual trip home. Otherwise they may have missed their guests.Mal might have preferred it that way, but River couldn't say she regretted the chance to meet them.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter
Series: Fictober 2020 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947883
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	A Welcome Interlude

Apparition across galaxies was uncomfortable at best. Bringing someone else along for the ride didn't make the squeezing sensation any better, but Harry thought he was doing much better after centuries of experience. Not that there were many others he could compare against, but relatively speaking.

That being said, showing up at the destination without one of the passengers wasn't exactly something he was proud of.

Checking his surroundings, he verified that they were in the mostly empty room he and his wife had set up as an apparition point. Assorted nick-knacks dotted the shelves along with pictures from their many travels. But, instead of three occupants, the room only contained the two of them.

Frowning, he inspected his hand like it would tell him where the other man it should have been holding onto was.

So far, no luck.

“Husband mine,” Luna piped up from where she was holding his other hand, “it looks like we've lost something along the way.”

“That it does.” His answer was distracted as he tried to work through what happened. “I took his hand, thought of home, and then concentrated...”

Luna gave a knowing hum before asking a pointed question.

“Thought of _our_ home or just the word 'home'?”

Face slackening into a flat look, Harry joined her in the realization of what went wrong and let his head drop into his empty hand.

“The word.” Which linked to each person's version of the word to make travel easier as it spread the cognitive load around.

Of course a man who'd never been to their house would think of a different place as home! Yet more proof that experience might make one wiser, but only if they took the time to use it.

Harry sighed as Luna unlinked their hands to rub his back consolingly.

“This does give us a chance to clean up and check in on everyone before heading out again,” she reasoned. “Catching up shouldn't be too difficult, hmm?”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Do you know which of the many planets in that universe he considered 'home'?”

Her mouth opened to provide an answer before she slowly shut it with a pout. That answered that then.

“How about you take care of what you can while I take the shower and then we swap. Once everyone is happy we can start researching.” He offered, pressing a quick kiss to her brow. “Worse comes to worse, we travel around nearby and see if we can't hunt him down.”

Large eyes blinked slowly back at him before she smiled.

“I suppose that will have to do. I'll go tell everyone about their almost neighbor.” Luna sniffed at the last comment, obviously still a little put out that he made her leave the egg behind.

“They were carnivorous and insatiable.” He reminded her back as she made her way down the hall. “I'm sure the others will thank me!”

Shaking his head as his wife turned the corner, Harry smiled as he went to wash up. Deserts like the one they came from weren't known for being overly clean after all.

Making his way towards the preserve, he checked the clock above the front door. He did some quick calculations in his head, frowning as it once again didn't add up to the time he expected.

“Luna?” He called into the massive room, if it could still be called that when it was expanded to the size of a respectable county.

“In the aviary.” Her voice floated back to him with the aid of some enchantments.

A quick debate on how he'd like to get there later, Harry bypassed the brooms on the wall and started making his way up on foot.

Sometimes it was nice to do things the old fashioned way.

Climbing up the delicate looking metal staircase, he followed the path. The scenery to each side zipped by, jungle fading to a river and then to a rocky seascape before he spotted Luna. He stopped completely before stepping out to where she was currently being used as a perch by several interesting looking birds.

“I missed this.” The blond remarked wistfully as she stroked the nose of the one by her left elbow.

“Discounting the cryo sleep on the ship, we saw them less than two weeks ago.” Harry reminded her with a fond smile.

“But it's been so much longer for them.”

“About that, have you seen what time it is?” He asked, raising an arm as one of the feathered beings swooped over to greet him. “Hello my dear, have you been having a good week?”

“Wark!” It replied before starting to preen his wet hair.

“Tea time?” Luna guessed, still automatically checking any creature that got close enough to make sure that they were all happy and healthy.

“Well, nearly.” Funny how she could always tell. Shaking his head even as his feathered friend clicked its beak at him, Harry clarified. “I meant the date. It doesn't look like the house is more than a few days out from when we left.”

Blinking, Luna finished her most recent inspection before turning to him with a frown.

“Mrs. Bennett agreed to come every other day to check their levels for the whole month.” She reminded him. “I wonder what could have happened.”

Their home wasn't exactly normal, which suited them just fine. The whole thing drifted slightly out of sync with any particular place or time. Instead of being rooted to one place or era, it was loosely tethered to many locations and times, allowing the two immortal travelers to keep an eye on everyone they loved while also getting a chance to explore the universe at their own pace.

Their home was designed to suit their lifestyle, so without regular visitors the house would set its own time and sometimes that led to the two of them returning as soon as they left which always confused their more mundane neighbors.

That's why they usually invited one from a tethered location to check in on their 'pets' while they were gone. Not that they'd actually see the beings in the preserve, they'd mainly come in and check that the water levels were good before heading back out. In the process they'd maintain a connection just long enough for the Potters to look like they'd taken an extended vacation rather than vanishing from the face of the planet or returning the very same night.

“Maybe she's ill?” Harry offered, concerned for the nice woman who liked to bring them home made crackers whenever they had time to visit Miranda.

The last of the winged creatures transferred over to him as Luna passed him on her way to the path.

“I'll have to see if I can whip up a remedy safe for her to use after my bath.” She said, placing a hand on his shoulder as she rose to her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Once we're sure she's fine I'll help you with our research.”

“Let me know if you need help,” he called over his shoulder before focusing on the creatures vying for his attention. “Alright, alright. One at a time.”

* * *

Several galaxies and a short walk away, a small crew was still reeling from the revelation of just what their government had done to one of their own planets and all the citizens living there.

“I'm alright.”

The taste of bile still lingered in her mouth, her brother's hand was a solid weight on her back, and River Tam's psyche no longer contained the echoing silence of nearly thirty million people. Looking up, she saw the interior of the broken research shuttle with new eyes. It wasn't crawling with ghosts, echoes of the past. Instead, it was a dusty wreck that survived long enough to deliver its crew's final message to them.

“I'm alright.” She reassured her brother again, turning towards him. Simon's eyes widened and she could hear his horrified shock soften ever so slightly to make room for the wonder of seeing her clear eyed again.

He raised a hand and pushed River's hair back behind her ear to keep it from the mess she made on the floor in front of her. Rocking back to her heels, she gave Simon a small smile and accepted his hand to help her stand.

Without the oppressive silence weighing her down her mind was her own again, could ignore the chiming thoughts from the living instead of mistaking them for her own. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to hear herself think.

It wasn't accurate to say she was fixed, the Academy had broken the girl River once was, but she was better. Perhaps even better than before they cracked her mind back open in the Maidenhead as she no longer carried that secret deep inside.

Sometimes the wound must be reopened to clear out the foreign material before it could heal properly.

Using his hold on her hand, Simon walked around Wash and led her out into the sunlight. She eyed the recorder in Wash's hand as they went, but followed without complaint. It was in safe hands. Getting it out to the rest of the worlds like Mal wanted would be difficult, but they would try anyway.

She hoped they would all make it through.

Even after all that talk of chemicals in the air, River couldn't help but take a deep breath once they left the shuttle. Logically she knew the compound had broken down long ago, but she could hear the rest of the crew wondering about it even as they tried to pull themselves back together after that horrifying vid.

They might be out of sorts, but it was still nice to hear the crew members clearly again. Even with their emotions jumping between shock and horror, their melodies were comforting in their familiarity.

Except...

River stopped.

Ignoring Simon's tug on her hand, she listened carefully with a frown.

There was another song, one that wasn't harmonizing with the distant hum of Serenity's engines. Her head turned, body moving to follow until she was facing a nearly pristine side street along the way back to their home.

A song that sparked darkly, a light in the shadows, a shelter from the storm.

“River?”

“Life in the sea of death.” She turned to look at him, eyes wide as she tried to interpret the sounds threading under her family's. “A captain and his first mate.”

“Mal and Zoe?” He asked, confused. Simon looked over and caught Mal's eyes with a worried look.

“I thought everyone was dead 'cept Reavers.” Jayne cocked his gun, eyes trained on the street she looked at. He was always much better at understanding potential threats in her words.

He wasn't completely right this time though. It couldn't be Reavers.

She shook her head distractedly. Reavers were screaming and rage, a cacophony of shattered instruments.

This was a duet of life and what comes after.

The song was muted and River wondered if she'd even be able to hear it if it weren't for the ringing silence of the rest of the planet, if she didn't know her family's songs so well.

“Let's get back to the ship.” Simon's hand tugged at her once more, but just as she noticed the song, it noticed her back.

And it was singing a welcome.

“What's the hold up?” Captains should always be attentive of their crew and Mal was one of the best. He stepped up beside them and kept a close eye on her even as she attempted to ignore them.

“She's heard somethin' livin'.” Jayne answered, gun still pointed towards the side street.

Tuning them out, she hummed along with the song. It thrummed as she resonated with it.

Someone waiting on a visitor.

“I think we've seen enough of those who lived on this planet to last us a lifetime or two, so I believe that would be our cue to leave.” Mal's caution blared across her mind and his hand reached for her shoulder.

If she stayed and refused to go they would carry her into the ship.

If she followed them willingly the song would be left alone on a dead planet.

River pulled herself from Simon's loose grip easily and sprinted for the smaller road before anyone could catch her. Curses followed along with the off beat stampede of feet as they all ran to catch her.

The welcoming song was growing to a crescendo, excitement building at greeting a new friend. Sunlight caught on a shiny red door, the paint hardly faded even after a decade of disuse.

By this time even those who were nearly back home in Serenity noticed the ruckus. They joined those already in pursuit, Inara and Kaylee trailing just behind Zoe and her husband.

They wouldn't catch her before she reached it.

Skidding to a stop, River cocked her head as the song added a familiar beat. It repeated it twice before she reached out an knocked along with it.

_Shave and a haircut_

“Gorram it, girl!” Mal was a bit out of breath as he yanked her back from the door. Holding her by the shoulders, he leaned down a bit so that he could look her in the eye. “No more running off without sayin' why.”

His concern was loud. He worried that she was still mad, that he'd need to put her back in the room with a lock. His fears were unfounded, but she'd have to work harder now to prove it than she would have if she'd followed them back to the ship.

The house sang a promise and she trusted that this would be worth it.

Jayne and her brother arrived, Simon huffing after the unexpected sprint. The mercenary didn't have the same issue, but he did keep a close eye on the nearly empty street around them. His paranoia always threaded through his rumbling tune even when in the black, but right now it was front and center as he kept his gun at the ready. A roll of drums, deep like thunder.

“River,” Simon started before cutting off in surprise when two firm beats finished the old call-and-response knock.

From the other side of the door.

Instantly, Mal was pushing River and her brother back with one arm even as he pulled out his pistol with the other hand. Zoe appeared at his side, her smooth tones speeding up even as she pulled out her shotgun to point it at the door. Still protecting their flank, Jayne kept glancing at the door when he wasn't scanning the road for undesirables.

Hands pulled at River, trying to force her back with the other weaponless crew members, but she fought them with limited success.

The music was clear now. It had synced up like a radio tuning in to their frequency and she wanted to see-

There was a click. The door handle turned on its own, allowing the door to swing open ever so slightly before jerking to a stop. A small chain prevented it from opening any further.

“Oh, bother.” Came a voice from inside. “I always forget that one.”

A pale face peeked out at the crew, its wide, dreamy eyes barely blinking at all the guns now pointed at the small opening.

“Just a moment please.”

The door shut.

“The hell?” His gun never wavered, but Mal's confusion made his brassy notes fall out of synch.

There was a rattling noise before the door opened once again. A willowy blond smiled at them, unbothered by both the twitchy crew at her door and the damp patches that formed as her wet hair dripped onto the floral print of her blouse.

“Hello! I don't believe I've seen any of you before.” Her greeting was pleasant, but she wasn't looking at any of them directly. Instead, she was focused on something just above their heads.

“I'd be mightally surprised if you had.” The captain's replied almost automatically. Shock was pushed aside by duty and Mal firmed his stance, gun still pointed at the curious woman. “How are you still alive and not crazy?”

“It's been quite some time since someone declared that I _wasn't_ crazy.” She said, sounding amused at the thought. “I'm finding it a little off-putting to be honest.”

“Another crazy girl to match our little River,” Wash muttered good-naturedly behind her. “I like ours better.”

“Me too,” whispered Kaylee in reply. Inara may have hushed the two of them, but River basked for a moment in their warm regard before something occurred to her.

There was a song missing.

Fascinated, River leaned around the Mal's flared brown coat to peer at the woman standing calmly in the doorway. She only got a short glimpse before Simon pulled her back, placing himself between them as well. River allowed it for the moment because she was too busy counting the songs and the silence.

She couldn't hear her.

Serenity and her crew were still loudly clamoring for attention in her mind, but though the home itself was once again singing it's low welcoming song, this woman was quiet. Not like the echoing, damning quiet of the dead that lead River and her family here, but the calm quiet of a library or museum.

How did she do that?

The house strummed out its lonely welcoming tune again, happy to have visitors again after so long. It had waited such a long time, but the visitors it was promised finally arrived and now its residents were home.

“You're late.” River pointed out, even as the home resonated in reply. The house was somehow empty when there were no visitors and there obviously hadn't been visitors here for a long time. Without visitors the song couldn't sync and the residents wouldn't arrive here. Instead, they'd be at home elsewhere.

A quandry.

River was beginning to feel a bit like Alice with all these impossible thoughts.

Those large eyes blinked and then focused on her for a moment, concern showing on the blond's face before she took a step back to look above the door at something they couldn't see. Whatever it was, it made the brightly dressed woman turn away from them entirely.

“Harry!”

An unintelligible muffled response came from further in the house.

“There's more?” Kaylee asked, her deep sadness now pushed aside by confusion mingled with disgust. “How could anyone live _here_?”

Feet appeared on the stairs behind the woman and the man attached to them made it most of the way down the steps before he caught sight of the door and froze.

Mal's gun shifted to the newcomer and Zoe adjusted her hold on the shotgun to make sure she could take out the woman in one shot if necessary.

“What exactly is going on here?” He asked in his I'm-the-captain-and-I-want-answers voice.

“Harry, it looks like it's a good thing that our trip got cut short.” Pointing above the door, the woman continued, “Mrs. Bennett missed watering our lovies by over twelve years.”

“That is why we have the automatic watering system, love.” The man on the stairs replied before slowly finishing his decent to the ground floor. His green eyes never left the door, but they did eventually flicker around to look at everyone.

Even the people who aren't there physically.

“You see.” River couldn't help herself as she peeked over her brother's shoulder, brown eyes wide as Harry joined the woman at the door.

“Not always very well,” he admitted, adjusting his glasses.

River realized that his mind is just as politely quiet as the woman's, a distinction made all the more stark when a pointed thought finds its way to her.

'And you are a little rude.' Even mentally, his voice was mild.

“Not on purpose.” She replied aloud, brow furrowing. “Can't help it, not anymore.”

Not since they opened her up.

“River!” Her brother hissed, trying to pull her back out of sight. He thought she was reading it out of Harry's mind. Silly Simon.

While her family outside was getting twitchier by the minute, the two inside both gave her a matching pair of concerned looks.

“Well, looks like we both have work to do.” Looking down at the blond, Harry scrubbed a hand through his damp hair. “Now that I finally have the answer to why Than wanted us to set up a connection here, could you take care of them while I go fix the rest?”

The woman tilted her head, going so far as to put a finger to her chin before nodding.

“Now, wait just one gorram minute.” Mal cut in testily. “Who are you people and how exactly do you plan on 'taking care' of us?”

A delighted look lit up the woman's face and she stuck out a hand. Nearly everyone flinched at that especially when Jayne swung around to point his weapon at her in response.

The man next to her simply clapped one of his own hands to his face.

“Luna L. Potter née Lovegood. Quibbler Editor, mythozoologist,” she introduced herself with a wide eyed smile.

Harry's hand slipped from his face revealing a fond smile as he watched Luna wait for their response. Seeing the crew either eye the hand warily or simply gape in shock, he shrugged a little helplessly at them.

“We recently met someone who introduced themselves that way and my wife became rather enamored with the practice.” He explained before giving the crowd at his door a nod and following her example without offering a hand of his own. “Harry J. Potter. Thanatos' apprentice, survivor. Why don't you come inside?”

“I think we like it pleanty fine out here, thanks.” Zoe's answer was calm, but her finger hadn't moved from the trigger.

They were getting nowhere. Their suspicion was too loud! River couldn't understand why none of the other crew members realized that the couple inside was trying to help. She might not be able to read their minds, but their postures and words were almost as easy.

Finally breaking free of her brother's grip, she ducked under Mal's grab without looking and put her hand in Luna's.

“River Tam. Serenity's albatross, reader.” She'd intended to say more, to step further into the house to force the others to follow, but she couldn't. Not when she crossed that threshold and suddenly heard a lively chorus of song that swept her away entirely.

There were so many of them!

It was like a symphonic orchestra who boasted an ensemble count in the thousands. Loud and boisterous and resonating down to her bones. There were old hands laying down the baselines and newcomers learning to harmonize, an array of voices all humming and buzzing, singing and shouting, laughing and whooping as they lived their lives together.

How could so many fit in such a small house?

Suddenly, one of those many voices was very near, a quiet hum shifting from the joyous ruckus of the house to match another bouncing tone. One that was more used to long days in the black of space when it wasn't jumping around hearing everything and nothing.

Oh, that was hers, wasn't it?

River hummed together with it and blinked as she found herself seated on a couch, once more aware of her own body.

“There we go.” Luna said from where she was pouring tea for her assembled guests. Serenity's crew was tense even scattered around the cozy sitting room.

“River?”

A delicate hand slowly lifted towards her arm before hesitating and River followed it back to Inara who was seated next to her, watching her with a worried look. The companion took back her hand and offered a comforting smile instead as though River couldn't feel the buzz of her concern on her skin anyway.

“Back with us?”

“Yes. I hasn't realized it would be so loud.” River offered by way of an apology.

“Loud? And here I was thinking that it was too quiet without the engine rumbling through everything.” Wash commented from another one of the chairs.

The pilot was always trying to diffuse the tension, even when his was obvious as he perched on the edge of his seat and kept a close eye on his wife.

“Oh, it can be quite noisy for those with the ability to hear it.” Offering River a cup of tea, Luna smiled. “Thankfully, Carby knows what it's like to get lost in it all. I'm glad they could help you.”

Carby?

Something shifted under her hand as she reached for the cup. River looked down to her lap and blinked. A fuzzy creature, somewhere between a dog and a bunny blinked back.

The humming from before grew louder for a moment before subsiding.

“Thank you.” For bringing her back when she might have gotten lost in the song forever. Not an unpleasant way to go, but she'd rather go on living now that she finally had her life back.

Carby brushed its small face into her hand, careful of the small red horn they bore on their forehead, before settling down for a nap on her lap.

“Now, I hate having to repeat my questions.” Mal cut in, pistol still in hand though not currently pointed at anyone. “What the hell is that thing?”

“They're a Carbunkle.” Sitting back where she knelt next to the low table, Luna's voice took on a tone similar to those of River's professors when she was young. “A magical being native to a couple of interconnected realms. They're known for their shielding capabilities and their adorable looks.”

“Magic?” Kaylee asked, politely disbelieving.

She wasn't the only skeptical looking one, but she was the kindest about her questions. A few more along those lines popped up around the room as the crew talked over one another to get some 'real' answers.

Luna ignored them to look at River.

“We're outside any jurisdiction right now, but once you go back that will change.” The older woman advised. The impression of untold secrets and hidden thoughts whispered from her quiet mind to River's. “Who are they to you?”

How will you protect them?

“They are my family.”

With everything she had.

That made Luna grin.

“Perfect!” She clapped her hands together, quieting the rest for a moment. “Families of choice are much more accepted these days and that means this explanation won't get wiped from any memories.”

River hugged Carby close as Luna introduced the crew to the magical world.

It turned out that all those people who called her a witch for knowing too much were actually on the right track.

* * *

“Have fun storming the castle!” Luna called, waving a clean handkerchief from the doorway. A hand slipped around her waist as Harry joined her in seeing off their most recent visitors.

It was a good thing the house was time adjacent as it allowed them to offer those weary and wary travelers a respite before they finished their quest. She just wished there was more they could do for them.

“Are you sure-”

“We can't go with them.” Harry confirmed, knowing where that question was going. Not surprising, really. That was probably her fifth try. He sighed, obviously unhappy with the answer as well. “We pushed the limit doing as much as we did. If they hadn't warned us that it would be dangerous we might have been able to do it, but the enchantments in this sector are binding. 'No magic around uninformed mundanes or their recording devices unless in self defense'.”

It was a stupid rule. Luna pouted and crossed her arms. Why did the magical worlds always get so strict just before the inevitable merger with the non-magical sides?

“That won't be repealed for another few centuries at the earliest.” Scratching the back of his head, Harry admitted. “Though maybe earlier now.”

“Really?” Excited, Luna turned in his hold to look at her husband. He looked sheepish which only made her smile widen. “What did you do?”

He fumbled around for a bit before shrugging helplessly.

“Well, I can't honestly believe that Than would tell us to set up a place here on what obviously became a dead world without expecting me to clean it up.”

“And?” She knew him too well, that hero complex of his absolutely reared its overly helpful head.

The wait for an answer was even shorter this time.

“And I may have neutered the Reavers the government created as well.” A hand came up to forestall any response as Harry continued, “Not enough to get those at the top off the hook, but they shouldn't give anyone unnecessary trouble on a local level. But, doing it all so quickly might make the mundane world look for other signs of the supernatural. So...”

He looked guilty, probably wishing he could just round up every one of those things plaguing the worlds in this sector so that no one ever had to see them again, but even they had their limits and interfering on galaxy wide levels was one of them. It was one of the main reasons they traveled so often. If they were constantly jumping they wouldn't be tempted to meddle.

The few times they had weren't things they wanted to repeat.

Pushing up to her toes, she placed a quick kiss to his cheek and then moved them both out of the way of the door. Once it was shut behind them, she hesitated just a moment before removing the link to Miranda.

She had faith in the enchantments and charms she'd placed on that ship, in River's good sense, and in Carby, who volunteered to be River's partner in her magical journeys. Besides, she could always check in on them again later.

“Now, when did we leave that charming Furyan again?” Luna asked to distract them both. “And do you think their home planet is where he ended up?”

Opening his mouth, Harry paused only to close it again with narrowed eyes. A finger rose to tap against his lips before he finally turned to move away.

“Let me go check our tickets.”

**Author's Note:**

> So.... it's been 12 years almost to the day since the first part was published on ff.net.
> 
> Surprise?
> 
> lol Hopefully the next part takes a little less time to come out, though I need to rewatch Riddick first
> 
> Prompt: I missed this


End file.
